Goodlatte, Collins, Ratcliffe, and Luetkemeyer Praise Passage of Legislation to Prevent Back Door Regulation

Washington, D.C.— Today the House of Representatives passed the Sunshine for Regulations and Regulatory Decrees and Settlements Act of 2015 (H.R. 712), by a vote of 244-173. The legislation combines several House Judiciary Committee initiatives to curb regulatory overreach and hold the regulatory system of the United States accountable during the rulemaking process. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.), Doug Collins (R-Ga.), John Ratcliffe (R-Texas), and Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-Mo.) praised today's passage of the bill: “This legislation is a real and balanced solution to curbing regulatory abuse by the federal government. The measures we have passed today lift more of the barriers that have been imposed by the federal government that stop hardworking Americans from achieving greater economic prosperity.   “Our action today shines light on the backdoor tactics of regulators that often are a detriment to small business owners who must alter their own business practices due to unexpected changes to regulations. This bill also requires the federal government make proposed rules and regulations more accessible and easier to understand for the American people. No longer will Americans require a lawyer in order to understand how new regulations will impact their everyday lives.   “Today we made serious reforms to our regulatory system to help Americans who are besieged and bewildered by the flood of new regulations flowing every day from Washington.”The Sunshine for Regulations and Regulatory Decrees and Settlements Act of 2015 combines three separate pieces of legislation passed by the House Judiciary Committee.

• Title I: the “Sunshine for Regulatory Decrees and Settlement Agreements Act”
  • Limits the manipulation of lawsuits and sue-and-settle decrees and settlement agreements that force regulators to issue new regulations.

• Title II: the “ALERT Act”
  • Forces agencies to provide more detailed semi-annual and annual disclosures about planned regulations and their expected costs, final rules, and cumulative regulatory costs – along with monthly, online updates on planned new regulations, so those to be affected by them know in real-time how to plan for new regulations and their impacts on budgets, planning and hiring.
  • Prevents new regulations from becoming effective unless required disclosures are made during the six months preceding the regulations’ issuance.
• Title III: the “Providing Accountability Through Transparency Act”
  • Requires agencies to publish 100-word, online, plain-language summaries of all new proposed regulations.